1. History of U.S. Education
1.1. Reform Movement
1.1.1. The "Common School Movement" greatly impacted the history of education because ultimately it resulted in free public education. Horace Mann lead this movement and described an education as "the balance wheel" and "the great qualifier of men."
1.2. Historical Interpretation
1.2.1. The democrat-liberals were accredited for essentially making education available to all. They focused on spreading education to large societies while dissing the ideology of the conservatives. They promoted "equality of opportunity." However this time period of educational success can also be seen as an expansion of opportunity and purpose. In the eyes of Lawrence A. Cremin multiple students with different background attended school making education more diverse.
2. Politics of Education
2.1. The Four Purposes of Education
2.1.1. 1. Intellectual- To teach basic cognitive skills like reading, writing, and math.
2.1.1.1. The role of the
2.1.2. 2. Political- To teach allegiance to the existing political order and to teach children the basic laws of society.
2.1.3. 3. Social- To help solve social problems. To socialize the child into the multiple roles, behaviors, and values of society,
2.1.4. 4. Economic- The purpose of schooling in order to prepare one for the work force.
2.2. Conservative Perspective
2.2.1. 1. The Role of the School provides the necessary educational training to the most talented and hard working students in oder to maximize economic and social production.
2.2.1.1. The Role of the School
2.2.2. 2. Conservatives argue that students rise and fall on their own intelligence and initiative.
2.2.2.1. The Explanation of Unequal Educational Performance
2.2.3. 3. Schools in the 60's and 70's lowered their academic standards in order to achieve education equality, which is known as a "decline in standards." The decline of cultural literacy was also an issue. By trying to meet the needs of other cultural groups the school system failed to pass on American heritage. The decline of values or civilization refers to culture relativism, where schools lose their own traditional role in teaching moral values and standards. The decline of authority can be associated with individuality and freedom. In this process the school loses it's traditional disciplinary function.
2.2.3.1. Definition of Educational Problems
3. Educational Reform
3.1. School Based Reforms:
3.1.1. School Based- During the 1980's and 1990's it was deemed that private schools had more effective learning environments than public schools. Congressional support for greater school choice was expressed in a bill that was passed by the House of Representatives in 1990.
3.1.1.1. Privatization- In the 1990's private education companies like the Edison Company, worked to take over failing schools. For-profit companies also took over contracts for supplemental tutoring under the NCLB.
3.2. Reforms (societal, economic, community, or political reforms):
3.2.1. Full Service and Community Schools- In oder to solve education inequity, not only the child, but the whole community must be educated. Full service schools focus on meeting the students and their families educational, physical, psychological, and social needs. (Dryfoo's model of full service schools)
3.2.1.1. School Finance Reforms- Following the supreme courts 1973 decision in Rodrigues VS. Antonio which declared there is no constitutional right to an unequal education, school finance and adequacy advocates litigated at the state level. In 1990 the court ruled that more funding was needed to serve the children in the poorer school districts. In 1998 the state was required to implement supplemental programs in urban school facilities. These programs are supposed to improve schooling for minority children.
4. Sociological Perspectives
4.1. Functionalism- Education is essential in making one ready for sociable cohesion and harmony. Education must have structures, programs, and curricula that are advanced, rational, and encourage social unity. (Emile Durkheim)
4.2. Conflict Theory- The school is seen as a social battlefield, where students are battling teachers and teachers are battling administrators etc. There is a connection between the the organization of schools and the organization of society, so until society changes there will be no school reform. (Karl Marx)
4.3. Interactionalism- Determine what school is like on an everyday basis. Instead of generalizing and making the structure of school seem abstract interactionalism looks at everyday scenarios. Basil Berstein argued that the structural aspects of the educational system reflect each other and should be viewed wholistically.
4.4. Effects of Schooling on Individuals
4.4.1. 1. Teacher Behavior- Teachers greatly impact students and their behaviors. Teachers have multiple jobs like disclipiner, friend, confidant, and instructor (Ingersoll). I believe that the motivation for academic achievment in students has to deal a lot with the way the teacher acts. This is important because teachers set the tone in the classroom. Students behave based off of the teachers behavior.
4.4.2. 2. Student Peer Groups and Alienation- In school students often become part of "cliques", or groups that they want to fit in with. This can lead to violence and put students in bad situations as well as teachers. Student cultures are prominent in shaping their educational experiences.
4.4.3. 3. Education and Inequality- Because of the different societal classes, we live in a world where you are not only judge by the class you are categorized in but also race, ethnicity, age, and gender. These judgements and classifications care nothing about the actual ability and knowledge, so people are not getting the same opportunities at success. This can greatly imp ace students because essentially they're not getting the same opportunity at an education.
4.4.4. 4.De Facto Segregation- Segregation promotes inequality among students and hinders the chances of academic achievement. Segregation does not integrate equity and messes with basic rights. Court cases that significantly impacted segregation: Swan V. Charlotte, Mecklenburg and Parents Involved in Community Schools V. Seattle School Distrist No. 1.
4.4.5. 5. Gender- Gender role is another way that schools often produce inequalities. Males are seen as more dominant and are often payed more than women. I think this affects women especially while in school because it can result in lower self confidence. The thought of men being more entitled than women can be very demeaning and discouraging ultimately resulting in a lack of motivation for education as well as un equal opportunity.
5. Philosophy of Education
5.1. Pragmatism
5.1.1. Generic Notes
5.1.2. This philosophy stems from the biblical phrase, "By their fruits ye shall know them." The main ideas of pragmitism rely on the theories of evolution. Dewey believed that a better society was achieved through education. He also believed that Students learn from experiments as well as books, which will ultimately prepare them to properly function in society. He also allowed for teachers to meet the needs of the students and engage with their interest in the classroom. Dewey wantd both Freedom and responsibility for students.
5.1.2.1. Key Researchers
5.1.2.2. Founders of this philosophy include: George Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. Francis Beacon (1561- 162) who emphasized experience. John Locke (1632- 1704) believed that the mind was a blank tablet and knowledge was acquired through senses. Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712- 1778) promoted that individuals are born innocent and society corrupts one's innocence.
5.1.2.2.1. Goal of Education
5.1.2.2.2. School should provide the "conjoint, communicated experience", that it should prepare students for life in a democratic society.
6. Schools as Organizations
6.1. Major Stakeholders of Madison City:
6.1.1. State Senators: Richard Shelby and Jefferson Sessions.
6.1.1.1. House of Representatives: Bradley Byrne, Martha Roby, Mike D. Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Gary Palmer, Terri Sewell.
6.1.1.1.1. State Superintendent: Michael Sentance
6.2. Elements of change within school processes and school cultures:
6.2.1. Conflicts occur in schools due to the fact that teachers often have conflicting pedagogic goals that often do not meet the social needs of the students. The community can also put a great amount of pressure on the school and cause tension.
6.2.1.1. Schools must accept new behaviors. New communication skills, learning techniques, and collaboration must all be allowed in this process.
6.2.1.1.1. Through team building the whole staff as well as the school must learn to respect each other's ideas and contributions.
7. Curriculum and Pedagogy
7.1. Curriculum Theory
7.1.1. I support the social efficiency curriculum theory because it focuses on meeting the needs of the students through different forms of testing and schooling. This theory also implements that education should prepare students for the work force and society.
7.1.2. Dominant Traditions of Teaching
7.1.2.1. The Transformative Tradition- This tradition refers to a transformation of a person in which qualitative changes are made that deem societal qualities. This tradition also focuses on adding on to what already exists.Novels such as "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" show a teacher who has had profound effects on students.
7.1.2.1.1. The Mimetic Tradition- A greek word deriving from the word mime is typically what people think education is supposed to be about. This tradition focuses on moving from the familiar to the less familiar.
8. Equality of Opportunity
8.1. Factors that effect educational outcomes:
8.2. Factors that effect educational outcomes:
8.2.1. Class is directly related to achievement and educational success. There is a direct connection between parental income and children's performance. An education can be very expensive. The longer that a student stays in school, the more likely they are to need financial support from their families. This type of situation typically represents wealthier families. However, the working class are not typically expected by their family to graduate college, and usually do not have the financial support to pursue an education.
8.2.1.1. Race is also directly related to one's educational attainment. The text book shows that African Americans and Mexicans have a higher drop out rate than whites. This is particularly because this category contains many minority students, and they are not being given the same educational opportunities as whites.Therefore, educational attainment for these races is significantly less.
8.2.1.1.1. Gender used to play a big role in educational achievement. Typically men sought higher educational levels than women, but now women have almost closed that gap. Women are now less likely to drop out of school than men are and often have higher reading proficiency and writing levels. Why males still dominate the category of mathematics, women's are now seeking higher education more than ever before.
8.2.2. The Coleman Study from 1982
8.2.2.1. Response #1 concludes that where an individual goes to school, has little effect on their cognittive growth and educational mobility. However, a group of minority scholars led by Ron Edmonds argued that differences between schools made a significant impact on student learning.
8.2.2.1.1. Response #2 justifies that statistical differences between public schooling and Catholic schooling are significant however, educational differences are very slim. (Jencks 1985)
9. Educational Inequality
9.1. Two types of cultural deprivation theory
9.1.1. The first type of cultural deprivation theory was brought to light in the 1960's and suggested that the non-white families and the working class lacked cultural resources such as, books and other necessary educational resources that they often arrived at school at a disadvantage.
9.1.1.1. The second type of cultural deprivation theory see's the working class and non-white students as resisting the dominant culture of the schools. Students reject the white middle class culture of academic success and embrace an anit-school culture.
9.2. School Centered Explanations for Inequality
9.2.1. School Financing- School funding often greatly affects school systems. It can be a very unfair situation, since school financing is often based off of the financial status of a community and property taxes. Therefor affluent communities often provide a much larger amount of school spending money than poorer communities. Johnathan Kozol's book "Savage Inequalities" compares public schools in affluent suburbs and poor inner cities.
9.2.1.1. Effective School Research- Edmonds and other effective school researchers researched schools that had very positive academic results. High expectations, strong and effective leadership, monitoring of student learning, and a high degree of instructional time on tasks were all found in effective schools. Effective school research complies with Coleman's latest work that suggests that Catholic schools produce more academic achievement due to higher academic expectations.
9.2.1.1.1. Within School Differences- Curriculum and Ability grouping: At the elementary level students are often grouped by teacher recommendations and test scores. At the secondary level students are often grouped by ability and curriculum. In groups students are often receiving the same content just at a different pace or different method.